Tag: Artemis
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NASA, Boeing approaching first major join of second SLS Core Stage
Operations for the first major join of the main elements of the second Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage are expected to begin later in March as NASA and prime contractor Boeing work to deliver the stage in 2022 for the Artemis 2 launch. The three elements that compose the top half of the rocket,…
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Stacking complete for SLS boosters
The twin solid rocket boosters for the Artemis 1 mission are stacked on the SLS Mobile Launcher inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson The twin 177-foot-tall (54-meter) solid-fueled boosters for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System have been stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy…
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NASA, Boeing looking to begin SLS Exploration Upper Stage manufacturing in 2021
Manufacturing and assembly development work for the Space Launch System (SLS) Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is starting to ramp up at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. NASA’s SLS Program and EUS prime contractor Boeing are preparing to begin construction of the test and flight articles that will be needed to certify and…
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Second prevalve issue delays completion of SLS Core Stage Green Run campaign
A problem with another one of the eight prevalves in the Artemis 1 Core Stage for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has postponed a second test-firing to wrap up the Green Run campaign. The SLS Program’s first flight article has been installed in the B-2 Test Stand at the Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi…
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Stuck propulsion valve delays second SLS test-firing
One of the SLS core stage’s four RS-25 engines during a wet dress rehearsal in December. Credit: NASA A troublesome liquid oxygen valve on the Space Launch System’s first flight-rated core stage will keep NASA from performing a second test-firing of the rocket’s four main engines this week. NASA hoped to conduct the second hotfire…
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NASA completes Exploration Upper Stage CDR, focuses new office on SLS Block 1B development
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program and prime contractor Boeing have a new framework in place to finish development of the next version of the new launch vehicle, called Block 1B. The biggest addition to the Block 1B SLS vehicle will be the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) on…
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MDA into Canadarm3 development as commercial space robotic needs merge
From its first flight in November 1981, to the on-going evolution of the technology to take it from low Earth orbit out toward the Moon, the various Canadarms and their associated space robotic platforms have been an ever-present and critical element of human space exploration. Now, as the need to develop a more autonomous robotic…
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Biden backs Artemis moon program; watchdog says it’ll cost $86 billion
This infographic released Wednesday by the NASA Office of Inspector General includes cost figures for key elements of NASA’s Artemis program through fiscal year 2025, including the Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft, ground systems, the Gateway, and the Human Landing System. Credit: NASA OIG The Biden administration supports continuing NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts…
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SpaceX wins contract to launch first pieces of NASA’s Gateway lunar outpost
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch in April 2019. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Spaceflight Now NASA announced Tuesday it has awarded SpaceX a $331 million contract to launch the first two pieces of the Gateway lunar outpost in 2024 using a modified version of the Falcon Heavy rocket to hurl the massive…
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NASA, Boeing adjusting SLS Core Stage parameter limits for second Green Run firing
In parallel with vehicle and test stand preparations for a second Green Run Hot-Fire test later in February, the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Program and Core Stage prime contractor Boeing are reviewing rule changes for the full, eight-minute firing. The Core Stage hardware and software executed the first-ever final countdown, engine start, and “plus…